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Genetic analysis of chemosensory traits in human twins - PubMed

Genetic analysis of chemosensory traits in human twins

Antti Knaapila et al. Chem Senses. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

We explored genetic influences on the perception of taste and smell stimuli. Adult twins rated the chemosensory aspects of water, sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid, ethanol, quinine hydrochloride, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), potassium chloride, calcium chloride, cinnamon, androstenone, Galaxolide™, cilantro, and basil. For most traits, individual differences were stable over time and some traits were heritable (h(2) from 0.41 to 0.71). Subjects were genotyped for 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms within and near genes related to taste and smell. The results of these association analyses confirmed previous genotype-phenotype results for PTC, quinine, and androstenone. New associations were detected for ratings of basil and a bitter taste receptor gene, TAS2R60, and between cilantro and variants in three genes (TRPA1, GNAT3, and TAS2R50). The flavor of ethanol was related to variation within an olfactory receptor gene (OR7D4) and a gene encoding a subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (SCNN1D). Our study demonstrates that person-to-person differences in the taste and smell perception of simple foods and drinks are partially accounted for by genetic variation within chemosensory pathways.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1

Heatmap of reliable quantitative traits. Traits that are most highly positively correlated are shown in pink–red; negatively correlated traits, in blue–green. Specific r values are presented in

Supplemental Table 5

.

Figure 2
Figure 2

Detection of the odor of androstenone and Galaxolide by OR7D4 R88W (rs61729907) genotype: fraction of individuals who answered “No” to the question “Did you smell something?”

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